New satellite images provided by a French defense firm show 122 objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean, not far from other satellite sightings that could be related to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the Malaysian transport minister said Wednesday.

When photographed by the satellite on Sunday, the objects were scattered over 154 square miles (400 square kilometers), acting Transportation Minister Hishammuddin Bin Hussein said. That's about the size of Denver, Colorado.

The location recorded by the satellite was within the search area scoured Wednesday by a dozen aircraft from six nations, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said. Nothing was found, the agency said on Twitter.

Experts say it's possible the materials may have drifted or sunk.

Search aircraft did spot three objects, but teams weren't able to locate them again in several passes through the area, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 48 photos

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Relatives of passengers from Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 console each other outside the Malaysia Airlines office in Subang, Malaysia, on Thursday, February 12. Protesters demanded that the airline withdraw the statement made in January that all the passengers aboard the plane are dead. The plane, which disappeared on March 8, has not been found.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A policewoman watches a couple whose son was on board the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 cry outside the airline's office building in Beijing after officials refused to meet with them on June 11, 2014. The search for the missing plane has been ongoing since early 2014.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Members of the media scramble to speak with Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Department, at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 27. Data from communications between satellites and missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was released the day before, more than two months after relatives of passengers say they requested that it be made public.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Operators aboard the Australian ship Ocean Shield move Bluefin-21, the U.S. Navy's autonomous underwater vehicle, into position to search for the jet on April 14.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks out of a window while searching for debris off the coast of western Australia on April 13.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

The Echo moves through the waters of the southern Indian Ocean on April 12.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, on a mission to drop sonar buoys to assist in the search, flies past the Australian vessel Ocean Shield on April 9.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A relative of a missing passenger cries at a vigil in Beijing on April 8.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Australian Defense Force divers scan the water for debris April 7, in the southern Indian Ocean.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A towed pinger locator is readied to be deployed April 7 off the deck of the Australian vessel Ocean Shield.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force looks at a flare in the Indian Ocean during search operations on April 4.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A member of the Japanese coast guard points to a flight position data screen while searching for debris from the missing jet on April 1.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A woman prepares for an event in honor of those aboard Flight 370 on March 30, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A Royal New Zealand Air Force member launches a GPS marker buoy over the southern Indian Ocean on March 29.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

The sole representative for the families of Flight 370 passengers leaves a conference at a Beijing hotel on March 28, after other relatives left en masse to protest the Malaysian government's response to their questions.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A member of the Royal Australian Air Force is silhouetted against the southern Indian Ocean during the search for the missing jet on March 27.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Flight Lt. Jayson Nichols looks at a map aboard a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft during a search on March 27.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

People in Kuala Lumpur light candles during a ceremony held for the missing flight's passengers on March 27.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, delivers a statement about the flight on March 24 in Kuala Lumpur. Razak's announcement came after the airline sent a text message to relatives saying it "deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH 370 has been lost and that none of those onboard survived."

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Grieving relatives of missing passengers leave a hotel in Beijing on March 24.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Ground crew members wave to a Japanese Maritime Defense Force patrol plane as it leaves the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang, Malaysia, on March 23. The plane was heading to Australia to join a search-and-rescue operation.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A passenger views a weather map in the departures terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 22.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A Chinese satellite captured this image, released on March 22, of a floating object in the Indian Ocean, according to China's State Administration of Science. It is a possible lead in the search for the missing plane. Surveillance planes are looking for two objects spotted by satellite imagery in remote, treacherous waters more than 1,400 miles from the west coast of Australia.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Satellite imagery provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on March 20, shows debris in the southern Indian Ocean that could be from Flight 370. The announcement by Australian officials that they had spotted something raised hopes of a breakthrough in the frustrating search.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Another satellite shot provided by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority shows possible debris from the flight.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A distraught relative of a missing passenger breaks down while talking to reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 19.

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A relative of a missing passenger tells reporters on March 18 in Beijing about a hunger strike to protest authorities' handling of information about the missing jet.

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U.S. Navy crew members assist in search-and-rescue operations March 16, in the Indian Ocean.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Members of the Chinese navy continue search operations on March 13. The search area for Flight 370 has grown wider. After starting in the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, the plane's last confirmed location, efforts are expanding west into the Indian Ocean.

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A Vietnamese military official looks out an aircraft window during search operations March 13.

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Malaysian air force members look for debris on March 13 near Kuala Lumpur.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

Relatives of missing passengers wait for the latest news at a hotel in Beijing on March 12.

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Indonesian air force officers in Medan, Indonesia, examine a map of the Strait of Malacca on March 12.

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A member of the Vietnamese air force checks a map while searching for the missing plane on March 11.

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Vietnam air force Col. Le Huu Hanh is reflected on the navigation control panel of a plane that is part of the search operation over the South China Sea on March 10.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A Vietnamese air force plane found traces of oil that authorities had suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, the Vietnamese government online newspaper reported March 8. However, a sample from the slick showed it was bunker oil, typically used to power large cargo ships, Malaysia's state news agency, Bernama, reported on March 10.

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The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 37048 photos

A U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopter lands aboard the USS Pinckney to change crews before returning to search for the missing plane March 9, in the Gulf of Thailand.

Italian tourist Luigi Maraldi, who reported his passport stolen in August, shows his current passport during a news conference at a police station in Phuket island, Thailand, on March 9. Iranians Pouri Nourmohammadi and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza were identified by Interpol as the two men who used stolen passports to board the flight. But there's no evidence to suggest either was connected to any terrorist organizations, according to Malaysian investigators. Malaysian police believe Nourmohammadi was trying to emigrate to Germany using the stolen Austrian passport.

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Vietnamese air force crew stand in front of a plane at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City on March 9 before heading out to the area between Vietnam and Malaysia where the airliner vanished.

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Buddhist monks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport offer a special prayer for the missing passengers on March 9.

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The Chinese navy warship Jinggangshan prepares to leave Zhanjiang Port early on March 9 to assist in search-and-rescue operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight. The Jinggangshan, an amphibious landing ship, is loaded with lifesaving equipment, underwater detection devices and supplies of oil, water and food.

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Members of a Chinese emergency response team board a rescue vessel at the port of Sanya in China's Hainan province on March 9. The vessel is carrying 12 divers and will rendezvous with another rescue vessel on its way to the area where contact was lost with Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

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The rescue vessel sets out from Sanya in the South China Sea on March 9.

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Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, arrives to meet family members of missing passengers at the reception center at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8.

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A relative of two missing passengers reacts at their home in Kuala Lumpur on March 8.

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Chinese police at the Beijing airport stand beside the arrival board showing delayed Flight 370 in red on March 8.

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Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Juahari Yahya, front, speaks during a news conference on March 8 at a hotel in Sepang. "We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts" with the jet, he said.

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EXPAND GALLERY

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The latest objects seen on satellite images provided by Airbus Defence and Spacerange from about 3 feet (1 meter) to about 75 feet (23 meters), Hishammuddin said. Some appear bright, indicating they may be solid, he said.

The latest images appear to be the most significant discovery yet in the hunt for the missing plane, which vanished March 8 with 239 people aboard, said CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien.

"There's a very good chance this could be the break we've been waiting for," he said.

Aviation safety analyst David Soucie agreed, saying he was particularly intrigued by the size of the 75-foot object.

"It has potential to be a wing that's floating," he said. "So I'm really encouraged by it, I really am."

But satellites have captured images of objects before during the current search, crews have yet to spot anything definitively linked to the airplane and ships haven't recovered anything of note.

"This is a positive indication that the searchers are getting closer to the origin of the crash, but there are many uncertainties," said Ian MacDonald, an oceanographer at Florida State University. "There could be many objects floating in the ocean, that are large or small, that are completely unrelated to the crash."

Officials have warned that objects spotted in the water may turn out to be flotsam from cargo ships, and that finding anything from the plane still could take a long time.

"There's always a possibility we might not actually find something next week or the week after," Mark Binskin, vice chief of the Australian Defence Force, told CNN's Kate Bolduan on Tuesday. "I think eventually, something will come to light, but it's going to take time."

The search resumed Thursday morning as a Chinese military plane took off for the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, Australian authorities said.

Six military reconnaissance planes -- from Australia, the United States, China and Japan -- and five civilian aircraft are set to comb the vast search area again on Thursday.

Five ships -- one from Australia and four from China -- also are in the search zone, Australian authorities said.

An ongoing FBI review of the missing jet's pilots' hard drives, including the captain's flight simulator, has not turned up a "smoking gun," a U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

"They have accessed the data," the official said. "There is nothing that's jumping out and grabbing us right now."

The official would not reveal what was on the hard drive, but said the Malaysia Airlines pilot did not encrypt any of the files nor did he appear to go to any great lengths to scrub the hard drive when he deleted files last month.

FBI Director James Comey said earlier Wednesday that he expects the information would be handed over to the Malaysians in the next day or two. "I have teams working literally around the clock to try and exploit that,'' Comey said. "I don't want to say more about that in an open setting. But I expect it to be done fairly shortly within a day or two, to finish that work."

The information retrieved from the hard drives will hopefully give investigators leads to follow regarding the pilot's backgrounds, such as their finances and emotional state and who they had been communicating with.

U.S. investigators continue to be baffled by the plane's disappearance, with one U.S. official saying, "I don't think there is a prevailing theory. There are counterarguments to every theory right now."

Investigators are still focusing on the pilots, even though no physical evidence, such as a suicide note, has been found in their homes that would suggest they were planning the plane's disappearance. One of the main reasons for the continued focus on the pair is that there is nothing else explaining what happened, sources say.

Citing an anonymous high-ranking officer attached to a special investigative branch of Malaysian police in Kuala Lumpur, USA Today reported Wednesday that investigators believe the plane's captain was "solely responsible for the flight being taken hundreds of miles off course."

Investigators are now pressing Capt. Zaharie Ahmad Shah's family for more details, USA Today world news editor William Dermody told CNN.

"Some of it's process of elimination," Dermody said. "They can't find any other rationale for it, and according to the evidence they have thus far, they don't believe that the plane was mechanically disabled. They feel that it had to have been done manually, and the only person who could have done that on the plane was the pilot."

But a senior Malaysian government official told CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes that they have found nothing negative so far in 19 days of investigating the two pilots that leads them to any motive, be it political, suicidal or extremist.

"The people in the cockpit are a top priority," a senior U.S. government official said. "We are heavily dependent on the Malaysians to do a deep dive on personal lives."

Another U.S. official said nothing was flagged after a study of the passengers onboard the plane and that "no terrorism stuff is moving forward" at this stage in the investigation.

The hardware

If search teams are able to find debris confirmed to be from the plane, it will help officials figure out roughly where the aircraft went down.

They would then be able to focus the search under the water to try to find larger pieces of wreckage and the all-important flight data recorder, which may hold vital clues about what happened the night the plane disappeared.

U.S. hardware designed to help with that task arrived Wednesday in Perth, the western Australian city that is the base for the search efforts.

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Families told all lives are lost

The United States sent a Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle, which can search for submerged objects at depths as low as 14,700 feet (about 4,500 meters), and a TPL-25, a giant listening device that can help pinpoint the location of pings from the flight data recorder. Towed behind a ship, the TPL-25 can detect pings at a maximum depth of 20,000 feet (about 6,100 meters).

The Indian Ocean has an average depth of about 13,000 feet (about 4,000 meters).

The wait for answers about what happened to the plane and where it is now has taken a toll on the relatives of those on the flight.

Chinese kin have been particularly upset by Malaysian authorities' announcement Monday, based on analysis of satellite data, that the plane had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean with the loss of all lives aboard.

"It is still theory, and it's just still analysis" said Stephen Wang, whose mother was on the missing flight. "No one have seen anything."

Many relatives of those missing haven't accepted the theory, and still think their loved ones might still be alive, Wang told CNN's Pauline Chiou.

"To me, I think it might be 5% that there is still hope, but most of the families don't believe that it might be bad news," Wang said. "Most of the families still think that there will be hope."

On Wednesday, some families accused Malaysia Airlines of falling short of its promises to provide volunteer caregivers and accommodations for some family members. The airline couldn't immediately be reached for comment and did not send a representative to a news conference Wednesday.

The Chinese government, whose citizens made up two-thirds of the passengers on board the missing plane, also said it wanted more information from Malaysia.President Xi Jinping has sent a special envoy to Kuala Lumpur to deal with the matter.

Malaysian officials met with the Chinese envoy, said Hishammuddin, the transport minister, and briefed them extensively on the analysis of the satellite data that led to the crash conclusion.

The Malaysians' comments appeared to have done little to placate the anger among the families, however, and it appeared to be spreading more widely among the Chinese public.

Some Chinese celebrities used social media to urge people to boycott Malaysian products and visits to the country.

Chen Kun, one of China's most popular actors, accused the Malaysian government and Malaysia Airlines of "clownish prevarication and lies." His post Tuesday calling for a boycott was reposted more than 65,000 times on Weibo, China's Twitter-like microblogging platform.

"I've never been to Malaysia, and I will no longer plan to go there anymore," Meng Fei, the host of one of China's most popular TV shows, wrote Wednesday on Weibo, calling for others to repost the comments if they felt the same. More than 120,000 users did.

Other social media users, albeit with smaller followings, argued against punishing Malaysia over the matter.

Chen Shu, a journalist, warned that a boycott would "hurt the relationship of Chinese and Malaysians" and long-term regional ties.

Chinese authorities regularly censor Weibo posts. The fact the anti-Malaysian posts by high-profile users weren't deleted suggested either tacit approval or at least an unwillingness to wade into the debate by Chinese government censors.